Abstract
ObjectiveThe study was conducted to estimate the goiter prevalence, and the median urine iodine concentrations among schoolchildren aged 8–10 in Binh Dinh province, Vietnam.MethodsA school-based cross-sectional survey was carried out from May 2016 to May 2017. A multistage, proportional-to-population-size sampling method with 30 clusters was used. The children were examined by palpation for the presence or absence of goiter based on the criteria of the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), International Council for the Control of Iodine Deficiency (ICCIDD); urinary iodine was determined in microplates by a modification of the Sandell-Kolthoff reaction. The Chi-square test was used to compare prevalences, and the Chi-square test for trend was employed to assess the trend of goiter prevalence and urine iodine levels by age and economic-social areas.Results1800 pupils from 8 to 10 years old including 900 males and 900 females were examined and 300 among them were tested for the urinary iodine concentration (UIC). The prevalence of goiter among schoolchildren was 6.6%. The prevalence of goiter tended to increase in areas with disadvantaged conditions, among which the urban areas occupied the lowest prevalence (5%) while the mountainous areas and Midland took the highest (8.8%) (the p-value of 0.0193). The median UIC of the study group was 159.9 µg/L; the 25th and 75th percentile value was 103 µg/L and 230.2 µg/L, respectively.ConclusionAccording to the WHO/UNICEF/ICCIDD classification, the goiter prevalence indicated that some regions of Binh Dinh province appeared to be slightly affected by iodine deficiency. These have characterized an important public health challenge, highlighting the need to eliminate iodine deficiency disorders in these areas.
Highlights
Iodine is one of the vital micronutrient components of the thyroid hormones, necessary for normal growth, development, and metabolism during the fetus period, infancy and throughout life [1]
This was a cross-sectional study based on schools. It was conducted in three socio-economic areas of Binh Dinh province including: (1) urban, (2) coastal plain, and (3) mountainous area and Midland in which the last is the most disadvantageous socio-economic region according to the socio-economic classification of the administrative units directly under the province
On the basis of the goiter prevalence, the World Health Organization (WHO)/United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)/ICCIDD recommended the criteria for understanding the severity of Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDDs) as a public health problem in a region
Summary
Iodine is one of the vital micronutrient components of the thyroid hormones (thyroxin and triiodothyronine), necessary for normal growth, development, and metabolism during the fetus period, infancy and throughout life [1]. When iodine requirements are not met, thyroid hormone synthesis is impaired, resulting in hypothyroidism and a series of functional and developmental abnormalities grouped under the heading of “Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDDs)”. Depending on stages of life, the deficiency of iodine has different effects. Iodine deficiency in the fetal stage often causes brain damage such as cretinism, edema and many other harms affecting intellectual, physical, and psychological development. The most common manifestation is goiter [2]. Iodine deficiency is a major public health problem for populations throughout the world, for pregnant women and infant children [3]. From 1993–2003, the total goiter prevalence in the general population is estimated to be 15.8%, varying from 4.7% in America to 15.4% in South-East-Asia and 37.3% in Eastern Mediterranean [4]
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